Ford government, Ottawa strike deal over French university

After killing Ontario’s proposed French-language university last year in the name of fiscal restraint, the Ford government said Saturday it has struck a deal with Ottawa to make the Université de l’Ontario français a reality.

Mélanie Joly, Canada’s minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Caroline Mulroney, Ontario’s minister of Transportation and Francophone Affairs, and Ross Romano, the provincial minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.

“By signing this (memorandum), both governments are affirming their commitment to address the needs of the more than 600,000 francophones in Ontario with respect to post-secondary education,” the ministers said in a joint statement.

Highlights of the understanding include :

An adequate due diligence process will be implemented to commit public funds and move forward in a trustworthy, accountable and transparent way with respect to the proposal submitted by the Governance Council of the Université de l’Ontario français. Funding negotiations will begin following the due diligence process, and a joint working group will be established to work together and agree on eligible expenditures, timelines and activities for the Université de l’Ontario français. Canada and Ontario will base their agreed-upon governmental contributions on established practices of intergovernmental cooperation in education, namely that Canada’s contribution will not exceed 50 per cent of the total cost incurred by Ontario. Because it is exceptional for Canada to cover 100 percent of the expenditures for the first four years of a multi-year project, Canada will seek assurance from Ontario that it will reimburse Canada of its share should Ontario not be in a position to provide funding within the expected timeframe. “This is a major breakthrough for Franco-Ontarians and French-speaking Canadians across the country,” Joly said. “It is the result of the hard work of generations of brave and dedicated francophones and Francophiles who fought hard to get us to this moment.”

Mulroney and Romano, in a joint statement, call the agreement “a great first step. Our government recognizes the exceptional contribution of the francophone community to the province’s social, cultural and economic development.

“We also recognize the importance of a university governed by— and for — francophones in Ontario. We want to ensure French-speaking students can count on a high-quality, modern, post-secondary education system that is aligned with labour market needs.”

Université de l’Ontario français appeared dead 10 months ago when then Ontario Finance Minister Vic delivered a fiscal update. “Upon further review of the province’s fiscal situation,” he said at the time, “the government will also be cancelling plans to proceed with a new French‐language university.”

However, in January, Joly gave Ontario $1.9 million to keep the skeletal university staff afloat and tells the province it has $63 million to kick in if Ontario will submit a viable proposal for the institution.

Then in July and August, news surfaced the provincial and federal governments were talking. “We have always said that we are committed to moving forward with this very important university, by and for francophones, in Toronto when Ontario will be in a fiscal position to do so with the necessary viable funding,” Mulroney said last month.

And then last week, the Progressive Conservatives announced they had asked Ottawa to contribute the other half of the $126 million needed for the university, which they say will take eight years to complete.

The request was laid out in a proposal the Tory government sent to Ottawa on Thursday.

The initial cost for the university was estimated at $83 million when the previous Liberal government in 2017 first announced the plans. The former Wynne government had planned to build the university in southwestern Ontario.

In a column, Postmedia’s Kelly Eagan said there are compelling reasons why Ontario should have its own French-language university. The province has 12 French-language school boards, with 105 high schools and about 6,000 students in Grade 12.

There is, he noted, the bilingual uOttawa and the tiny Université de Hearst, a school of Laurentian University in Sudbury, plus many colleges with French-language instruction.

Francophone education and student leaders were quick to praise the agreement and the ministers that struck the memorandum.

“Without a university, the continuum of French-language education is incomplete and this agreement was vital to the survival of the Université de l’Ontario français,” said Karelle Sikapi, president of the Fédération de la jeunesse franco-ontarienne.